Blitz Puffy Pastry Pies Food

BLITZ PUFF PASTRY RECIPE

Steps:

• Place cold cubes of butter into freezer until semi-frozen, about 20 minutes. Place flour, salt, softened butter, and 3/4 cup ice water in mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Combine on low speed until just combined (add a tablespoon or two more of cold water if needed). Remove bowl from mixer and add semi-frozen butter cubes. Using hands, quickly incorporate butter chunks into dough (butter should still be solid). Place dough onto large piece of plastic wrap and press into an 8- by 10-inch rectangle that is about 1-inch thick. Wrap tightly and chill 1 hour.
• On lightly floured surface, roll dough into 10- by 20-inch rectangle with squared off edges. Do a 4-fold: Fold one short end to just past center. Fold other end to meet and then fold in half. Wrap and chill for 15 minutes.
• Roll out dough again into a 10- by 20-inch rectangle. Repeat 4 fold and chill for 1 hour.
• Repeat rolling out and giving a 4 fold 2 more times, chilling dough an hour in between each fold. After giving final fold, chill dough at least an hour before using (see note).

CHICKEN POT PIE WITH HOMEMADE PUFF PASTRY - ALTON BROWN

Steps:

• In a zip-top bag, combine bread flour, whole wheat flour, salt and butter. Place in freezer for 1 hour.
• Place a 10-12" cast iron skillet over high heat. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil. When it shimmers, cook chicken pieces (in batches, if necessary to avoid crowding) along with 1 tsp kosher salt. When cooked through but not browned, transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• Return pan to heat, but reduce to medium. Add another 1 tbsp oil, then add onions, mushrooms, carrots, celery and garlic, as well as 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, black pepper, dried thyme and dried tarragon. Cook, stirring often, until onions are wilted, about 4 minutes. Add butter. When melted, sprinkle over flour and stir well for 1-2 minutes to cook out the raw-flour taste. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Bring to a simmer and cook 3 minutes until thickened.
• Off heat, return chicken to sauce, along with peas, fresh thyme and fresh tarragon. Place a large flat lid on top of the skillet and set aside.
• Dump the flour-butter mixture onto a clean counter. Using a bench scraper, chop into the mixture until the butter is reduced to the size of peas. Sprinkle ice water over the mixture 1-2 tbsp at a time, then fold in with bench scraper. Once 8-10 tbsp of water is incorporated, and the flour is starting to form clumps, scrape the mixture together into a 4" square pile, and start whacking it with a rolling pin, until it forms a 12x4" rectangle. Fold in thirds and repeat. If the butter starts to feel soft, place a baking sheet (which you previously stored in the freezer) on top, then place ice packs or zip-top bags of ice on the sheet pan, for 5-6 minutes, until it firms up again.
• After 4 repeats of the letter fold above, the last will be a book fold - fold both ends into the center, then fold in half at the resultant seam. Wrap tightly in parchment paper and refrigerate 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Set 4 16-ounce souffle dishes or onion soup crocks on a baking sheet. Beat together egg wash and have standing by. Cut dough in half; roll one piece out to about 1/4" thick, using bench flour as necessary to avoid sticking. Find a pot lid a little wider than your dishes and use it to trace out two circles from the dough; repeat with the other piece. Brush each disk with egg wash.
• Fill dishes almost to the top with chicken mixture. Top each with a disk of dough, egg wash side down. Brush the exposed tops with more egg wash. Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes, then rotate pan 180°, lower heat to 400F and cook another 15-20 minutes until tops are deep brown and crispy. Cool on a rack 10-15 minutes before serving.

OLALLIEBERRY ICED HAND PIES (& BLITZ PUFF PASTRY DOUGH) RECIPE - (4.4/5)

Steps:

• Pastry: Whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add the butter, working it in to make a coarse/crumbly mixture. Leave most of the butter in large, pea-sized pieces. Note: I like to use my food processor for less elbow grease. Stir in the sour cream; the dough won't be cohesive. Turn it out onto a floured work surface, and bring it together with a few quick kneads. Pat the dough into a rough log, and roll it into an 8 x 10-inch rectangle. Dust both sides of the dough with flour, and starting with a shorter end, fold it in three like a business letter. Flip the dough over, give it a 90°F turn on your work surface, and roll it again into an 8 x 10-inch rectangle. Fold it in three again. Wrap the dough, and chill for at least 30 minutes before using. Note: I made the dough the night before. Filling: If using blueberries, combine all the ingredients in a saucepan set over medium heat. Cook until the mixture starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked berries to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. If using olallieberries, or any other kind of berry, combine the Clearjel with the sugar and pour over the fruit. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine. Set aside for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425°F; place a rack on the middle shelf. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. To assemble the pies: Roll the dough into a 14 x 14-inch square. With a straight edge and pastry wheel, or a 3 1/2-inch square cutter, cut out sixteen 3 1/2-inch squares. (I made mine a little bit larger, which yielded six pies.) Divide the filling among half the squares, using about a heaping tablespoon for each. Brush some of the beaten egg along the edges of each filled square. Cut a vent into the each of the remaining eight squares, using a decorative cutter of your choice. Top each filled square with a vented square, and press along the edges with the tines of a fork or a pie crust crimper to seal. Glaze: Combine 1 cup confectioners' sugar with 1/4 teaspoon Instant ClearJel and enough milk or cream to make a spreadable icing. Paint the icing on with a pastry brush or a nylon spreader. Why add that touch of Instant ClearJel? It helps the icing set up neatly, like the icings you see on doughnuts at you-dunkin-know-where. You'll still get nice little drips, but they'll set up and not melt as they would with straight confectioners' sugar glaze. Optional, instead of the glaze: Brush the top of each pie with the remaining beaten egg, and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Transfer the pies to the prepared baking sheet. Bake the pies for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and let cool for 10 minutes icing. Otherwise, allow the pies to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

PUFF PASTRY PINWHEEL COOKIES WITH JAM

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly butter 2 heavy large baking sheets. Roll out 1 puff pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 16x13-inch rectangle. Trim edges neatly, forming 15x12-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle into twenty 3-inch squares. Using small sharp knife, make 1-inch-long diagonal cut in all 4 corners of 1 square, cutting toward center (do not cut through center). To form pinwheels, fold every other point of puff pastry toward center of square, pressing to adhere. Repeat with remaining puff pastry squares.
• Brush pinwheels lightly with egg glaze. Sprinkle each with 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Place scant 1/2 teaspoon jam in center of each. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Bake until pinwheels are golden and puffed, about 13 minutes. Using metal spatula, transfer cookies to rack and cool. Repeat with remaining puff pastry sheet, glaze, sugar and jam.
• Sprinkle cookies with powdered sugar, if desired. (Can be prepared ahead. Place cookies between waxed paper sheets in airtight containers and freeze up to 2 weeks; thaw before packing, or store airtight at room temperature up to 3 days.)

BLITZ PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• In a large bowl, stir together the cake flour, bread flour, salt and white sugar. Stir in the chunks of butter so that each one is completely coated in flour. Combine the cold water and lemon juice; stir into the bowl while lightly tossing the ingredients to moisten them evenly. Gather the dough into a ball.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Keep the edges as square as possible. The dough will look terrible, but don't worry, it will shape up. Fold the dough into thirds like a business letter, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Place the dough on the floured work surface and turn at a 90 degree angle from the last time you rolled it out. Roll again into a rectangle again and fold into thirds. If the dough is still cold and manageable, rotate and roll again, then fold into thirds, or refrigerate and continue in 30 minutes. Finish by rolling the dough out to the size of a baking sheet. Place on a lightly floured baking sheet and wrap in plastic. refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.
• To use, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into shapes with a sharp knife. Use as directed in recipes calling for puff pastry, or alternatively, enclose desired fillings and bake in a preheated 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) oven until puffed and golden brown.